I'm Fine, Honest
by FluffyMustache
Summary: "Knock off the tough guy act, I know you're hurting."


"Sure you're fine, dude?"

Izzy looked up with a pained smile, trying her best to play off the more than minor injury like she did every time she got hurt. She was always so intent on keeping her tough appearance from slipping away when at the moment, she was struggling not to roll around on the ground like a child, letting her pain out through all the movement, and let out the wails she continued to somehow hold in. Izzy's smile was beginning to tremble and threatened to turn into a nasty grimace.

The shaking being threw away the tempting thought to let tears escape and shook her head rapidly in refusal, reaching to her wound and covering it with a now blood stained hand. After making the unwanted contact with the bloody mess of her arm, Izzy released a hiss of pain and doubled over, clenching her jaw shut to prevent her screams from ringing out in the dense forest and closing her eyes with regret, wishing she had just told her wincing friend that she was fine and left it at that. But of course, Izzy had to be sure to let her friend know that she was going to tough it out and took it too far. Again.

She drew out another fake smile and craned her neck to look back up at her worried friend.

"I-I'm fine, h-honest."

Cubby's expression turned to an annoyed glare, getting tired of his friend's stubbornness.

"Knock off the tough guy act, I know you're hurting," he huffed out in a shuddering tone, the blood trickling onto the floor before him becoming too much to handle. Cubby never felt that she had the nerve to deal with gore and things of that type. He watched tensely as Izzy struggled to her feet, almost unable to find her footing due to the blood loss. Izzy eventually found her balance and looked up with accusing eyes, throwing off her friend only slightly.

"Wait a sec," she began, raising the hand that was covering her wound to stop Cubby from saying anything further. Cubby looked on confused as Izzy looked as though she was in deep thought.

"Did you just call me a guy?"

Cubby rolled his eyes playfully at the girl's ignorance to her own injuries. It was just like Izzy to try and amuse herself during a situation like this; It was a tactic that worked, but sometimes it was strange how well she could hide pain.

"Well," he began, ignoring her question, "I say we start heading to an adult," Cubby suggested somewhat calmly, but still rather worried for his friend's wellbeing. Izzy looked up with a scowl, pulling her arm to her chest and cradling it with her other hand protectively.

"Heck no. I ain't going to an adult just so they can poke me with a dirty needle, I can take care of it myself," Izzy growled, exposing her hatred for needles and directing her anger toward them.

Her knees began to shake, drawing the attention of Cubby. He gasped when she dropped to a knee and crouched over it slightly, wrapping her undamaged arm around it and sniffling quietly, pain finally becoming overwhelming.

"Alright, fine. Let's go," she rasped out.

They began the short walk back to the hideout, making small conversation and stopping every now and then for Izzy to sit down and try to regain enough energy to keep up with the quickening pace. It didn't take long for them to succumb to awkward silence, allowing Cubby to get a clear look at her red colored arm. It had cuts dragging across her skin, only a few looking a bit deep. None _too _alarming though, but put together, she had lost an almost scary amount of blood. He squinted slightly to see if there was anything else other than the cuts, trying to see through the layer of dried blood. Nothing. That was good, just a few cuts.

"So," he drew out, earning her attention. "I never asked how you got so... messed up..." he asked, waiting for her to explain.

She sighed and gave her arm a small glance, a smile beginning to appear. "It wasn't my fault," she said simply. "I was just timing my running."

Izzy looked at the direction they had walked from.

"Dang tree should have watched where it was going."


End file.
